Takeshi
Kaneshiro was born on October 11, 1973, in Taiwan of Japanese
and Taiwanese parents. This unique background led to Kaneshiro
being fluent in several languages, namely Mandarin, Japanese,
Cantonese, Taiwanese, and English. Kaneshiro spent his
childhood in Taiwan. His mixed background caused problems
for him, and he was bullied at school by his fellow students.
He had problems fitting in, and felt like an outsider
both at his Japanese school and in his Taiwanese neighbourhood.
For this reason he later moved to the Taipei American
School.

Kaneshiro started his rise to
stardom by making commercials during his school years,
and at the age of fifteen was given the opportunity to
be a pop star by a Taipei A&R company. In 1992, he
launched a successful singing career in both Mandarin
and Cantonese. As is traditional with Asian pop stars,
Kaneshiro was offered roles in films, his first being
in Taiwanese comedies. When given the chance, he eschewed
the usual pop fodder in favor of quirky character parts.
Internationally-acclaimed director Wong Kar-Wai worked
with Kaneshiro on Chungking Express (1994) and Fallen Angels (1995), and speaks highly of his
depth and versatility. Kaneshiro's screen idol looks belie
his talents; reportedly, Wong and Kaneshiro collaborated
on ideas for some scenes, and Kaneshiro's role in Fallen
Angels as a son missing his father is perhaps one
of the best and most loved in Wong Kar-Wai's oeuvre. Another
notable role of Kaneshiro's was in Lee Chi-Ngai's Lost
and Found (1996), opposite Kelly Chen and Michael
Wong. Kaneshiro's humorous, but deeplly felt turn as a
finder of lost items was the centerpiece of this touching
film.

After a sucessful run of films
in Hong Kong, Kaneshiro was spotted by a Japanese TV producer
who gave him a role in the unusual miniseries, God
Please Give Me More Time (1998), about a musician
who falls in love with an HIV-positive young girl. The
controversial show was a huge success in Japan and sparked
his Japanese film career. His subsequent Japanese films, Sleepless Town (1998) and Space Travelers (2000), continued to boost his profile in the territory.
Kaneshiro also returned to Hong Kong for the hit romantic
film Tempting Heart (1999), opposite Gigi Leung,
and the romantic fantasy Lavender (2000), again
with Kelly Chen. Most recently, Kaneshiro starred in the
2002 Japanese box office smash The Returner, and
worked opposite Gigi Leung again in the Hong Kong hit Turn Left, Turn Right (2003). Kaneshiro has also
found success as an international print model for the
designer label Prada, and appears extensively in advertisements
all over Asia. (JamesPercy 2004)